 Nothing seems more emblematic of French cuisine and culture than escargot. Surprisingly, the consumption of snails can be traced back thousands of years. The shells of these land mollusks have been discovered in the caves of prehistoric man, indicating snails have been consumed long before the French. Now considered a delicacy in France, snails are often served as an entrée, or starter to a meal. While there are several different ways to prepare escargots, my favorite is baking the escargots in a garlic butter sauce, see the recipe below! Pick up your snail essentials at Paris Grocery and impress your guests at your next dinner party! We are proud to carry a fine selection of canned and prepared escargots, as well as snail serving utensils. Bon Appétit!
Escal Burgundy Escargots (3 dozen) $18.99
Dutruy Escargots de Bourgogne (6 dozen) $32.99
Saveurs de la Terre Helix Escargots (1.5 dozen) $8.99
Saveurs de la Terre Burgundy Escargots (6 dozen) $29.99
Prepared Escargot in shells with Garlic Butter (one dozen frozen) $11.99
Empty Escargot Shells (3 dozen) $32.99
Escargot Tongs $14.99 each
Escargot Fork $4.49 each
 Escargot and Wine Pairing
Did you know that the French consume at least 40,000 metric tons of snails a year–that’s a lot of escargot! Naturally, all that escargot needs to be washed down with something, and nothing does the job more admirably than a glass (or two!) of French vin. How to choose the perfect pairing? Well, what wine you drink with your escargot depends on how you prepare the dish. One method involves cooking the snail meat in chicken stock, which serves to retain most of the natural flavor of the meat. When prepared in this fashion, a crisp, minerally Chablis or an Alsace Pinot Gris might just be the ticket. On the other hand, if you prefer to bathe your snails in a rich butter sauce, typically infused with plenty of garlic, then, you can’t go wrong with a rich, barrel-fermented Chardonnay, a nice, dry, Provençal rosé, or a Tavel. If you substitute lemon for the garlic in the butter sauce, then, I’d go with a Sauvignon Blanc, an Alsace Riesling, or an unoaked, Macon-style Chardonnay (Macon-Uchizy, St. Veran, Macon-Villages, etc.).
2013 Bouchard Père & Fils Meursault ‘Les Clous’ $63.00 Aromas of apple, pineapple and flowers. Deeper and more intense than the basic village cuvée, showing a saline quality and good natural acidity to the flavors of yellow fruits, spices, and flowers. Good firm minerality on the finish.
 2010 Dauvissat Chablis 1er Cru ‘Vaillons’ $40.00 “The 2010 Vaillons is a finely chiseled jewel of a wine. It’s all about detail, nuance and finesse in this beautifully delineated Chablis. That’s not to say the wine isn’t powerful?it is, but today the structural components lie a bit in the background. White flowers, stone fruit and crushed rocks frame the pointed finish. The Vaillons is fascinating to contrast to the Sechet. Here the minerality and salinity of the soils are center stage. Anticipated maturity: 2015-2025.” – Wine Advocate
2015 Talmard Macon-Uchizy $11.99 Talmard’s Macon-Uchizy is an unoaked white Burgundy that is one of our best sellers. Ripe, with aromas of melon, ripe pear, lemon oil and almonds and rich noticeably yeasty flavors on the palate from extended aging on the lees (yeast that has finished fermenting) with a long finish and absolutely no oak and a lovely green apple freshness. Terrific value for this quality of winemaking.
2013 Denis Jamain Reuilly ‘Les Fossiles’ $18.99 Reuilly is in Sauvignon Blanc territory, an ancient winemaking village that today has only about 300 acres in vines. This bottling is from a specific vineyard with Chablis-like soil full of chalk, fossils and sea shells. Try to imagine Sancerre grown at Chablis. The fruit is lively, with white flower perfumes, citrus and minerality. It has finesse and precision.
 2015 Chateau de Trinquevedel Tavel Rose $17.99 Despite being surrounded by famous red wine regions like Chateauneuf-du-Pape and Lirac, Tavel is the only AOC in the Rhone that is 100% dedicated to making rosé since it was established in 1936. Not coincidentally, that was the same year this family owned estate was established, making them particularly influential, as well as being one of the longest standing producers in the Kermit Lynch Imports portfolio. This is a rosé that has been influencing generations of wine drinkers, and the estate continues to make one of the best versions you can find for the money.
Though it is fairly ruby colored in the glass, this isn’t heavy on Grenache as one would expect from Rhone rosé, which would make for a lower acid wine with lots of soft cherry tones. Tavel allows a maximum of 60%, but this bottling is a fairly broad blend that includes Cinsault, Mourvedre and Syrah as well as the white grape Clairette. The nose is cool strawberry with hints of Provence herbs and refreshing white fruits, and an impressively full texture on the palate that is both rich and vibrant at the same time, providing a long lingering finish of dried fruit skins. An excellent rosé and justifiably famous.
 Escargots with Garlic Butter
Recipe from The Balthazar Cookbook by Keith McNally, Riad Nasr & Lee Hanson $37.50
Serves 6
1 pound unsalted butter, softened to room temperature
8 garlic cloves, finely chopped
1/2 cup chopped flat-leaf parsley
1/4 cup chopped chives
1/4 cup chopped basil
2 tablespoons chopped thyme
2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
1 teaspoon kosher salt
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1 quart court bouillon or water
1 pound escargots, canned rinsed thoroughly
Preheat the broiler. Combine the softened butter with the garlic, parsley, chives, basil, thyme, lemon juice, salt, and pepper. This can be done with a standing electric mixer using the paddle attachment, or by hand with a wooden spoon. After the herbs are thoroughly combined, chill the compound butter until needed.
Bring the court bouillon or water to a boil and add the snails. Reduce the heat to a simmer and cook for 8 minutes. Drain. The snails can now be either tucked into a shell or set into escargot dishes, or put into a medium gratin dish. Top each snail with a tablespoon-size scoop of the herb butter. If using shells, set them into an ovenproof casserole or baking dish. Slide the escargot dishes or the gratin dish into the broiler for 5 to 8 minutes, until the butter is bubbling hot. Serve straight from the broiler with a good crusty bread so as not to miss one drop of the garlic butter. |
